Chew Chew

Oscar loves to chew things, but the things he likes the most are things that we don't want him to chew, like socks and dishtowels. He loved chewing rope bones when he first came home with us, but unfortunately he doesn't seem overly interested in them anymore. Rubber squeaker toys only keep him occupied for a few minutes at a time. The only toys that really hold his attention now are toys that  involve food. We have a bunch of Kong toys that we stuff with peanut butter or biscuits, but we're always on the lookout for alternatives that keep him busy so he doesn't get bored.

We stay away from normal rawhides because of the risk of having him swallow a chunk and it expanding in his stomach, causing serious health issues. There are shelves and shelves of them at the pet stores though, so people must be buying them. I have read that pressed rawhides are safer because they are compacted, making it harder for a dog to chew off a big chunk. We have given him pressed rawhides because they hold his attention, and because he is only able to chew off really small pieces at a time, but he only gets them when we are home to supervise him.  I have read that rawhides (pressed or otherwise) can be hard to digest though, so I'd like to find some other alternatives to keep him occupied.

When we were at a pet store this weekend, we saw some bully sticks and bought one for him to try.  If they're good enough for Cesar Millan I figure they're good enough for us! Hopefully it works out and it will be a good (and maybe safer) alternative to keep him busy when we need some quiet time.

Any other suggestions or tips would be welcome!